Jamming equipment maker CellAntenna has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to allow first responders the right to obtain and use radio frequency jamming equipment. The use of such technology by any state and local government and their law enforcement agencies is currently prohibited by FCC regulations -- even when used to prevent remote-controlled improvised explosive devices from exploding.

According to the 1934 Communications Act, only the federal government has the right to interfere with radio frequency communication. Jamming devices disrupt airwaves, thereby preventing radio-controlled devices from receiving a signal, eliminating the possibility of a bomb being triggered by a call to a cell phone.

CellAntenna said it filed its petition as a result of its recent challenge to this law being denied by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on jurisdictional grounds. The court ruled that such a challenge needed to have been made within the first six months after the regulations went into effect.

"Although regulating the airwaves is the primary purpose of the FCC, these regulations must necessarily be consistent with the public interest and serve legitimate governmental purposes," said Howard Melamed, CEO of CellAntenna. "The denial of counter-terrorism technology to emergency first responders certainly runs afoul of national goals and the will of Congress. Our first responders -- especially the bomb squads -- need jamming technology to cope with the methods of terrorists who commonly use radio frequency devices to trigger bombs that kill people. Protecting the airwaves should hold second place to protecting lives."